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Sports InsiderNBA goes all-out to start 2009 pt.1
January 3rd 2009 17:04
15 games with all 30 teams in them.
After the New Year's Day break comes the kick-off for the year 2009 of pure NBA action. Let's take a look at the results of the year's first playing date.
Houston Rockets 73
Toronto Raptors 94
The Rockets are not feeling well lately physically and even internally. There have been rumors going around that the some players in the Houston locker room aren't getting along so well. At 21-13, the Rockets look to be fine but seeing that they have slid down to 4th spot in the hyper-competitive Southwest Division does serve good reason to be alarmed. And with occasional injuries to key players, their long and difficult season continues.
In spite of what is happening in the Rockets side there is no credit to be taken away from the Raptors in this win. Chris Bosh and Andre Bargani did their stuff leading Toronto to this blowout win. In contrast to the Rockets, the Raptors are no great shakes when it comes to their win-loss record of 13-20. With their new coach Jay Triano and their lackluster start this season, the Raptors will be needing to pick things up double-time.
Miami Heat 76
Orlando Magic 86
Eversince Shaquille O'Neal got traded to Phoenix, the Heat is once again all about Dwyane Wade. It's really nice to see Wade still playing at superstar level even with one less dominant inside presence in his team. Wade rattled off 33 points in this game but least we forget basketball is a team game and the other main cogs weren't in sight. Shawn Marion and Mario Chalmers combined for only 9 points and Michael Beasley came off the bench with limited minutes. What's up with Erik Spoelstra freezing B-Easy?
With Wade being the only bright spot for Miami in this game, the Magic can only oblige by beating them up with a balanced attack though in a low-scoring fashion. Dwight Howard, Jameer Nelson and Rashard Lewis all combined for 48 points to lead Orlando offensively. Hedo Turkoglu contributed well on the boards. But the most notable contributor for the Magic has got to be back-up guard Courtney Lee who did a nice job defending Wade in the 4th quarter with some defensive help from Lewis while getting 10 points.
Indiana Pacers 105
New York Knicks 103
The first "anybody's ballgame"-type of matchup of the year. Both New York and Indiana are at the bottom of their respective divisions and it's quite interesting to see who will get a win against the other in this even yet not-so-exciting match-up.
Jarrett Jack turned out to be the hero for the Pacers in this game with his game-winning jumper with 0.9 ticks left capping off his season-high 29-point performance. Indiana has won and lost countless down-the-wire games this season. Thankfully, this one against the Knicks won't count as one of their heart-breaking defeats. The Pacers are figuring more competitive than what their current 11-21 record would suggest. As long as they keep their games close against any opposition, it will certainly place them in the right position to steal a win or two.
As for the Knicks, there is nowhere to go but up. Just keep sticking to the system and avoid unnecessary distractions. Mike D'Antoni sure realizes that this isn't going to be smooth sailing and a high-powered type of offensive resolve won't be enough to guarantee more wins in the future. They must become better, if not good enough, defensively.
Washington Wizards 83
Boston Celtics 108
The new year's first great mismatch. The defending NBA champions against the the team dead-last in the Eastern Conference.
The Celtics justifiably crushed the Wizards which is no surprise. The real issue to talk about is whether Boston is ready to make another long streak of wins. They got beat by the Los Angeles Lakers on Christmas Day, surprisingly lost to the struggling Golden State Warriors in the following game before routing the Sacramento Kings, and recently lost to the Brandon Roy-less Portland Trail Blazers finishing their 4-game West Coast trip at an uncharacteristic 1-3 before going home for this win.
The Lakers and the Cleveland Cavaliers are now only a couple of games behind them so they'd better make a new run of wins before those two teams bump them off from their lofty perch. The Celtics have proven that homecourt advantage throughout the playoffs are very important in winning a championship that's why the Lakers and the Cavs will not let up on pursuing for the top of the standings especially as the season wores on.
Atlanta Hawks 91
New Jersey Nets 93
The Hawks were on a roll winning their last six games just like in the beginning of the season and the Nets just can't get it done at home. Who do you think would win?
For some reason Vince Carter nailed a buzzer beater of a three from way way way out to get this rare home win against the streaking Hawks who were once again thwarted in their bid to win 7 straight games in a long time.
As usual Devin Harris and Carter carried the load for the Nets and their games were on. If ever they weren't playing well, the Hawks could have smashed them up. New Jersey has got to find more credible contributors on their roster if they will have a fighting chance to make it to the playoffs this year despite their "rebuilding team" status.
The Hawks meanwhile are A-OK. A freak loss like this can never be avoided sometimes. The important thing is to keep themselves playing well the way they're supposed to be playing. Atlanta has never been this consistent especially when their line-up is in-tact and healthy. They'll be in the playoffs for sure.
Chicago Bulls 92
Cleveland Cavaliers 117
We can't say that this is a mismatch it's just that LeBron and the Cavaliers are just way better that these improving Bulls, and yes, Cleveland is pretty invincible at the Quicken Loans Arena too.
Chicago still has a lot of building to do to get to Cleveland's current level of play while the Cavaliers have attained a level of chemistry and versatility to be legitimate title contenders this year. All the while we hear back then of LeBron James compiling astronomical statistics to carry Cleveland game after game. This year, James has settled for less stats and is raking in more wins.
Despite their recent loss to Miami, that doesn't take away any stock from the Cavaliers. They just simply get back on the saddle and beat up on some more teams. We won't be surprised if the Cavs rack up another 10-win plus winning streak. Most of the time James sits out most of the 4th quarters in the majority of the wins being blowouts as Cleveland has proven that they are very capable of taking teams out of it very early.
The 2nd part of this capsule will be posted shortly.
Photos by AP.
After the New Year's Day break comes the kick-off for the year 2009 of pure NBA action. Let's take a look at the results of the year's first playing date.
Houston Rockets 73
Toronto Raptors 94
The Rockets are not feeling well lately physically and even internally. There have been rumors going around that the some players in the Houston locker room aren't getting along so well. At 21-13, the Rockets look to be fine but seeing that they have slid down to 4th spot in the hyper-competitive Southwest Division does serve good reason to be alarmed. And with occasional injuries to key players, their long and difficult season continues.
In spite of what is happening in the Rockets side there is no credit to be taken away from the Raptors in this win. Chris Bosh and Andre Bargani did their stuff leading Toronto to this blowout win. In contrast to the Rockets, the Raptors are no great shakes when it comes to their win-loss record of 13-20. With their new coach Jay Triano and their lackluster start this season, the Raptors will be needing to pick things up double-time.
Miami Heat 76
Orlando Magic 86
Eversince Shaquille O'Neal got traded to Phoenix, the Heat is once again all about Dwyane Wade. It's really nice to see Wade still playing at superstar level even with one less dominant inside presence in his team. Wade rattled off 33 points in this game but least we forget basketball is a team game and the other main cogs weren't in sight. Shawn Marion and Mario Chalmers combined for only 9 points and Michael Beasley came off the bench with limited minutes. What's up with Erik Spoelstra freezing B-Easy?
With Wade being the only bright spot for Miami in this game, the Magic can only oblige by beating them up with a balanced attack though in a low-scoring fashion. Dwight Howard, Jameer Nelson and Rashard Lewis all combined for 48 points to lead Orlando offensively. Hedo Turkoglu contributed well on the boards. But the most notable contributor for the Magic has got to be back-up guard Courtney Lee who did a nice job defending Wade in the 4th quarter with some defensive help from Lewis while getting 10 points.
Indiana Pacers 105
New York Knicks 103
The first "anybody's ballgame"-type of matchup of the year. Both New York and Indiana are at the bottom of their respective divisions and it's quite interesting to see who will get a win against the other in this even yet not-so-exciting match-up.
Jarrett Jack turned out to be the hero for the Pacers in this game with his game-winning jumper with 0.9 ticks left capping off his season-high 29-point performance. Indiana has won and lost countless down-the-wire games this season. Thankfully, this one against the Knicks won't count as one of their heart-breaking defeats. The Pacers are figuring more competitive than what their current 11-21 record would suggest. As long as they keep their games close against any opposition, it will certainly place them in the right position to steal a win or two.
As for the Knicks, there is nowhere to go but up. Just keep sticking to the system and avoid unnecessary distractions. Mike D'Antoni sure realizes that this isn't going to be smooth sailing and a high-powered type of offensive resolve won't be enough to guarantee more wins in the future. They must become better, if not good enough, defensively.
Washington Wizards 83
Boston Celtics 108
The new year's first great mismatch. The defending NBA champions against the the team dead-last in the Eastern Conference.
The Celtics justifiably crushed the Wizards which is no surprise. The real issue to talk about is whether Boston is ready to make another long streak of wins. They got beat by the Los Angeles Lakers on Christmas Day, surprisingly lost to the struggling Golden State Warriors in the following game before routing the Sacramento Kings, and recently lost to the Brandon Roy-less Portland Trail Blazers finishing their 4-game West Coast trip at an uncharacteristic 1-3 before going home for this win.
The Lakers and the Cleveland Cavaliers are now only a couple of games behind them so they'd better make a new run of wins before those two teams bump them off from their lofty perch. The Celtics have proven that homecourt advantage throughout the playoffs are very important in winning a championship that's why the Lakers and the Cavs will not let up on pursuing for the top of the standings especially as the season wores on.
Atlanta Hawks 91
New Jersey Nets 93
The Hawks were on a roll winning their last six games just like in the beginning of the season and the Nets just can't get it done at home. Who do you think would win?
For some reason Vince Carter nailed a buzzer beater of a three from way way way out to get this rare home win against the streaking Hawks who were once again thwarted in their bid to win 7 straight games in a long time.
As usual Devin Harris and Carter carried the load for the Nets and their games were on. If ever they weren't playing well, the Hawks could have smashed them up. New Jersey has got to find more credible contributors on their roster if they will have a fighting chance to make it to the playoffs this year despite their "rebuilding team" status.
The Hawks meanwhile are A-OK. A freak loss like this can never be avoided sometimes. The important thing is to keep themselves playing well the way they're supposed to be playing. Atlanta has never been this consistent especially when their line-up is in-tact and healthy. They'll be in the playoffs for sure.
Chicago Bulls 92
Cleveland Cavaliers 117
We can't say that this is a mismatch it's just that LeBron and the Cavaliers are just way better that these improving Bulls, and yes, Cleveland is pretty invincible at the Quicken Loans Arena too.
Chicago still has a lot of building to do to get to Cleveland's current level of play while the Cavaliers have attained a level of chemistry and versatility to be legitimate title contenders this year. All the while we hear back then of LeBron James compiling astronomical statistics to carry Cleveland game after game. This year, James has settled for less stats and is raking in more wins.
Despite their recent loss to Miami, that doesn't take away any stock from the Cavaliers. They just simply get back on the saddle and beat up on some more teams. We won't be surprised if the Cavs rack up another 10-win plus winning streak. Most of the time James sits out most of the 4th quarters in the majority of the wins being blowouts as Cleveland has proven that they are very capable of taking teams out of it very early.
The 2nd part of this capsule will be posted shortly.
Photos by AP.
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